


Shirtless Selfies Are Totally a Bro Thing

by Animal_Arithmetic



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Christmas fic, Dorks in Love, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Flirting, Getting Together, M/M, Rare Pairings, tiny kitten as wingman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28305147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Animal_Arithmetic/pseuds/Animal_Arithmetic
Summary: [“I like him.”“Don’t sound so horrified,” Suga said, laughing just a little.“I like him.”“So you’ve said,” Daichi replied wryly.“I’m going to see him this weekend,” Ryuu said, feeling suitably horrified. How was he supposed to act normal with this major revelation?! “He invited me over to play with his kitten.”“Is that what we’re calling it now—ow.” Suga glared up at his boyfriend. “Mean.”.....Ryuu shrieked into the pillow Asahi kindly passed to him.]OR:Tora gets a kitten, and Ryuu has some realizations.And proceeds to do something about it.
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tanaka Ryuunosuke/Yamamoto Taketora
Comments: 1
Kudos: 72





	Shirtless Selfies Are Totally a Bro Thing

“What are you smiling at over there?” asked Yuu, raising an eyebrow at his friend from his spot behind Asahi.

Ryuu did his best to keep his jealousy at bay. Daichi and Suga were cuddling at one end of the couch while Asahi sat on the floor at the other end, upper body draped in Yuu’s lap as he played with Asahi’s long, soft hair. Ryuu—single, lonesome, dateless Ryuu—had been exiled to the weird dish chair a few feet away. It wasn’t his friends’ fault that they didn’t get to see each other much, now that three of them had graduated and were in different colleges. It wasn’t their fault they wanted to be affectionate with their significant others when they had the chance.

Pausing in typing his response, Ryuu turned his phone around, leaning forward and stretching his arm so Yuu could see the picture Tora had sent. It was, as promised, a selfie, shirtless, with a giant fluffy cotton ball resting on his chest. Ryuu had been admiring the gentle smile and the way Tora’s hand just dwarfed the tiny kitten. Well. And the way his muscles were just... so defined and his skin looked so smooth and—

Well. The whole point of the picture had been to show off the tiny kitten Tora had brought home just a few hours ago. Ryuu had already extracted a promise that he could go see the kitten that weekend and spend the night after Saturday’s practice.

“Oh,” said Asahi, cheeks turning pink. “I didn’t know you two were that serious.”

Ryuu frowned. “What do you mean?” He turned the phone back around to look at the picture, wondering if there was something he had missed. Of course they were serious? They were best friends—well, Yuu was Ryuu’s bestest best friend, but Tora was a very close second.

It was Suga who spoke next, shifting a little in Daichi’s arms. “Since when were you two dating?”

Ryuu looked down at his phone, tapping the screen to brighten it again, as if that would give him the answers. Since when was he dating someone? They didn’t mean Tora, did they? He looked up at his friends, frowning at each in turn. “Dating who?”

“Tora?” Yuu’s eyebrow only crept higher.

His frown deepened. “What?” Where the hell were they getting that idea?

“You know it’s okay if you’re dating a boy, right?" asked Daichi, gesturing wryly at both couples cuddling on the couch.

“Yeah?” Before he could forget, he finished his message to Tora to stall for time. “But we’re not dating. We’re just friends.”

“Who send shirtless selfies?” Suga asked, sounding just as confused as Ryuu felt.

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t we? He’s a good looking guy.”

Asahi sat up and turned to face him, face pinched in concern. He didn’t speak, just kept a steady, judgmental gaze on Ryuu.

“What?”

“Do you want to date him?”

“What?”

Asahi gestured at his phone. “Do you want to date him? Like, that’s flirting, right?” he asked the others.

“Wait, are you saying he’s _flirting_ with me?”

“I’d say so,” Suga replied easily.

“Wait.” Ryuu sat up, phone falling onto his lap as the pieces fell into place. That twisty feeling in his stomach whenever Tora talked a little too much about someone else—that happy, bubbly feeling whenever they talked—that tightness in his chest when Tora sent him pictures specifically for him or promised him that Ryuu could come over—that empty feeling when it had been a little while since he had last seen Tora—just _thinking_ about him sometimes, wondering what he was doing, if he was happy— _wanting_ to make Tora happy—

“I like him.”

“Don’t sound so horrified,” Suga said, laughing just a little.

“I _like_ him.”

“So you’ve said,” Daichi replied wryly.

“I’m going to see him this weekend,” Ryuu said, feeling suitably horrified. How was he supposed to act normal with this major revelation?! “He invited me over to play with his kitten.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now— _ow_.” Suga glared up at his boyfriend. “Mean.”

Daichi frowned sternly at Suga. “We need to support Tanaka, not tease him.”

“I mean, we can do both—”

Ryuu felt insanely lost, floating in some sort of void as he listened to the two bicker. His phone vibrated in his lap, startling him so badly he flung it hard enough to land on the couch, just barely missing Asahi’s head.

“What’d he say—what’d he say?!”

Yuu quickly picked it up, unlocking his phone without a problem, eyes darting over the screen eagerly. “He says he’s excited for you to meet her and sent a smiley face and then said you would like her name but he won’t tell you ‘til you get there with a winky face and _oh my god Ryuu_ that is _so_ flirting and he is _flirting_ with you.”

Ryuu shrieked into the pillow Asahi kindly passed to him.

* * *

It was warmer, in Tokyo. A little less snowy, too, though Ryuu didn’t mind too much.

The train had been delayed due to some ice on the track, but he ended up not being very late. Tora was all smiles, waiting for him at the station so they could hop on a bus that would take them closer to Tora’s home. Ignoring his pounding heart, Ryuu clutched his overnight bag close to his chest, hoping his face didn’t look all gross and sappy and love-struck as he listened to Tora explain their newest training regimen, now that Nekoma was getting more prepared for Nationals. He only stopped talking, once, to ask Ryuu if he was okay, since he was being so quiet.

“I just like listening to you,” Ryuu replied quietly, feeling suddenly very bashful as he hid behind his bag.

Tora spluttered, face starting to flush. “Shut up,” he muttered behind a hand, glancing away. But Ryuu could see the tiny, pleased smile he was trying to hide.

Maybe... Maybe the others had been right. Hope fluttered in his chest, settling in his belly as Tora finally composed himself enough to finish talking despite his pink cheeks.

Tiny mews greeted them as they stepped into Tora’s home. The tiny fluffball stood steadfast just on the ledge where they took their shoes off and screamed at them, demanding love and attention. Obligingly, but only after taking off their coats and scarves, Tora scooped her up, cradling her to his chest with a small, gentle smile. Ryuu could hear her purring, although that might have been because he was standing so close to Tora that he was practically on top of him. The pounding in his chest had quieted throughout the bus ride, but the thumping had picked up again as soon as Tora had closed the door. Ryuu could feel his pulse in his throat, threatening to choke him. If he pretended hard enough, it would go away, right?

“Do you want to hold her?”

“Uh, _duh_.”

Gently, Tora deposited the tiny kitten into Ryuu’s giant hands. With one hand cradling her butt and the other supporting her back, the kitten placed two sure paws on Ryuu’s chest to stare at him. He couldn’t help staring back into those icy, bright blue eyes. She was _gorgeous_ —just _perfect_ , really.

And then she apparently decided that he was good enough to hold her and she practically flopped against his chest. Her tiny purrs tickled.

“I love her.”

Tora gave him a lopsided grin. “Yeah.” He beckoned towards his room. “Come on.”

The kitten was pretty content to just chill in Ryuu’s hands as they made their way to Tora’s room. Tora carefully took Ryuu’s bag so he didn’t disturb her.

“Do I get to know her name yet?” Ryuu tried to be as gentle as he could as he pet her. Her white fur was so soft as he gently dug his fingers in to rub at the nape of her neck. She just cuddled in closer, purrs growing louder than such a tiny thing should have been capable of. He couldn’t help but gaze down at her, watching her sleep so peacefully against his chest.

“Peggy.”

Ryuu’s head shot up at that. “Peggy?”

Tora looked nervous, almost glaring at him as he nodded. “Yeah. You... You _say_ that Steve Rogers is your favorite character, but I know you love Peggy Carter more. That she’s your favorite. And... And I miss you, a lot, so I wanted to name her something that you liked.”

Ryuu’s breath caught in his chest. _No one_ knew that. He’d never told a single soul that he admired Peggy Carter even more than Captain America, that the reason he loved the movie so much was because of her and her alone. And Tora had named her that because he _missed_ Ryuu? Those damn butterflies took flight in his stomach, in his chest, and he almost felt like he could float away.

Making sure Peggy was secure against his chest with one hand, he brought up the other to grasp the back of Tora’s neck to pull him in for a kiss. He just couldn’t _help_ it. But Tora was gripping him back, bringing his hands up to cradle Ryuu’s face between his palms, kissing him back with such ferocity that it stole Ryuu’s breath away. Tora only pulled back for a breath before diving back in, pressing in close, licking the seam of Ryuu’s lips with the tip of his tongue—

An indignant mew distracted them from going further.

Tora pulled back, grinning down at Peggy. “Sorry, baby girl. Didn’t mean to squish ya.”

Reluctantly, Ryuu put the squirming kitten down and watched her scamper away. Something crinkled and crashed in the living room, but Tora only rolled his eyes, unconcerned at the noise. He bit his lip as Ryuu stood again, crowding in close.

“Peggy was kind of your Christmas gift,” Tora admitted, gathering Ryuu’s hands and clutching them tight between their chests. He rested his forehead against Ryuu’s. “I—I was going to—It was how I was going to confess.”

“Helluva Christmas gift,” Ryuu teased. “But, uh... I was gonna do the same. Not that kitten part, of course, but the whole—confessing thing as the gift. Uhm.” He could feel his face heating up as he admitted, “It uh... kind of took four of my friends to make me realize I liked you and that you’ve been flirting with me for a while.”

Tora grinned and gave him a quick, chaste kiss. “That’s okay. We got there.” He pressed a kiss to Ryuu’s knuckles, his grin growing into something a bit more mischievous. “Wanna make out?”

Ryuu reeled back, spluttering in his shock. But Tora was merely grinning at him, though it was softening as he loosened his grip and leaned back to give Ryuu more space.

Luckily, Ryuu could give just as good as he got.

“Only if you pin me to the mattress.”

Ryuu could only laugh as it was Tora’s turn to stammer in shock, face almost as red as his shirt.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas :)


End file.
